Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis dismissed head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler less than two years after hiring them. The decision was followed by a tumultuous start to the 2023 NFL season, with McDaniels initially facing criticism for his inconsistent wins against the Packers and Patriots. Recent poor performances, including a 30-12 loss to the Bears and a lackluster 26-14 defeat to the Lions, led to Davis’ decision to make changes.
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These losses dropped the Raiders’ record to 3-5. Under McDaniel’s leadership, the Raiders’ offense struggled significantly, failing to score 20 or more points in their first eight games. The team even had embarrassing losses to teams with inexperienced or substitute quarterbacks, such as Tyson Bagent, Jeff Saturday, and Baker Mayfield. Many believed that Davis had hired McDaniels and Ziegler with the hope of replicating the Patriots’ success on the West Coast.
Raiders relieve HC Josh McDaniels and GM David Ziegler of their duties. pic.twitter.com/oEfMcDmIsO
— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2023
The decision to fire Josh McDaniels and Ziegler came just hours after the NFL’s trade deadline, leaving questions about potential disagreements over trade strategies or other factors contributing to the sudden change. Though, now, in his latest chat with ESPN, Raiders Mark Davis, after much-talked about reasons from everyone, has finally revealed why he fired his HC and GM.
‘High Hopes’ Turned in the ‘Wrong Direction’
Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis, per ESPN, had apparently made this decision shortly after the Raiders’ embarrassing 26-14 loss to the Detroit Lions. After all, the saga had to end somehow, following a series of disappointing performances under McDaniels’ leadership. Despite McDaniels’ impressive Patriots record shining through, his tenure with the Raiders was marred by a blown 20-point lead and a shutout loss. The Raiders offense, which had high-profile players like Justin Murray, Kolton Miller, and Dylan Parham, ranked 31st in total offense this season. Davis told ESPN on Wednesday how he had ‘high hopes’ saying,
“Unfortunately, I had great hopes for Josh and Dave. It just seemed we were going in the wrong direction. So, with the trade deadline, I just felt it was time to make a change, time to make a move.”
Talked w/#Raiders owner Mark Davis today…hit on why firing Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler made sense now, why he chose Antonio Pierce and what the realisic expectation is for the team going forward… https://t.co/BE1mal0psp
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) November 2, 2023
In response, Davis appointed Antonio Pierce as the interim coach and Champ Kelly as the interim GM, saying, “That’s not to say I don’t want him to coach now, but he understands the culture of the Raiders, and that’s important to me. I felt very good about it.” The Raiders, under new leadership, face uncertainties due to new quarterback Aidan O’Connell replacing Jimmy Garoppolo, who is injured.
